New on Princess

[ano]

So despite the feminine name, I'm taking my first cruise on Princess from LA to Hawaii and back. I've been on maybe 15 cruises on Carnival, Royal and NCL. They all have some pros and cons. I was looking at Oceania but then they had a Noro outbreak in December. Then another now. That happens but how they handled it was not good. That was most important part to me.

 

Hello Princess. I think we will be happy together.

[GUT2407]

So despite the feminine name, I'm taking my first cruise on Princess from LA to Hawaii and back. I've been on maybe 15 cruises on Carnival, Royal and NCL. They all have some pros and cons. I was looking at Oceania but then they had a Noro outbreak in December. Then another now. That happens but how they handled it was not good. That was most important part to me.

 

Hello Princess. I think we will be happy together.

 

It's our first choice.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Loved the Hawaii cruise!

[ano]

They were giving a $600 per cabin onboard credit.

 

Can you use that for gratuities?

[cruiseintoheaven]

Yes, as long as you don't pre-pay them you can use your OBC

[Colo Cruiser]

They were giving a $600 per cabin onboard credit.

 

Can you use that for gratuities?

 

 

Yes pretty much anything you purchase onboard will come out of the OBC.

[Cruisin' Chick]

My last three cruises were the Hawaiian RTs. Love the cultural program Princess has on this itinerary.

[Pam in CA]

They were giving a $600 per cabin onboard credit.

 

Can you use that for gratuities?

The Princess onboard folio is a simple debit/credit system. If you have $600 in OBC, your folio starts with a credit balance. Everything and anything charged to your folio is deducted from the credit until there is a balance due. So, yes, OBC can be used for gratuities, tours, drinks, specialty restaurants, t-shirts, etc.

[easyboy]

Hello Princess. I think we will be happy together.

Oh, I know you will. Enjoy!

[LeeW]

With that many cruises you know that Noro happens. Only time we have had it was from our granddaughter's daycare. Never on a ship, even on several that had so-called outbreaks. Wash hands a lot, try to avoid public bathrooms, don't touch rails or elevator buttons and wash if you do.

 

Lots of sea days in your cruise, but if you like those you should have a great time!

[satxdiver]

You will find the ship and atmosphere a cut above what you experienced on CCL and NCL. The food, entertainment, decor etc are definitely a big improvement as well as the quality of the pax. It is an older crowd than the younger crowd.

 

You will find the food better than you had on RCCL and the presentation much better. The flow ridder, climbing wall and ice skating rink will be gone as will the silly games (quest comes to mind) that RCCL is famous for. Food is more readily available and better with a award winning 12 hour pizzeria and grill located beside the main swimming pool, a buffet open continually from 6 AM to 11 PM, a 24 hour International Cafe on deck 5 that has sandwiches, salads and desserts that are quite delicious and 24 hour room service where only pizza is $3.

 

Princess will allow each adult (21+) to bring one 750 ml bottle of wine aboard free. You can also bring as many bottles as you desire for $15 corking fee per bottle. For a week cruise we usually bring 6 paying for 4 of them. We enjoy our wine on the balcony in the afternoon. Wine bottles may be taken to the MDR but have to have the $15 fee paid.

[GUT2407]

They were giving a $600 per cabin onboard credit.

 

Can you use that for gratuities?

 

The only thing I can think of you can't use it for is FCC or booking a cruise.

[Jazul]

If, by the end of the cruise, you have unused onboard credit, can you go to the casino and request cash from them in order to not lose the credit if customer service says it is listed as a nonrefundable credit from your travel agent? We have done this before on RCCL but didn't know if it worked the same on Princess. RCCL will charge you a 5% fee for their trouble. Also, just returned from Regal Princess (we didn't have any credit to use) and they played the Love Boat song for their horn. Does anyone know if any of the other Princess ships have that for their horn sound?

[TracieABD]

Welcome to Princess!!!

[OCruisers]

Welcome to the Princess Forum! :)

Look forward to your upcoming first Princess cruise.

Please feel free to ask if you have any questions. One of us will be happy to reply!

LuLu

[UpcountryTravelers]

...... Also, just returned from Regal Princess...... and they played the Love Boat song for their horn. Does anyone know if any of the other Princess ships have that for their horn sound?

 

Only Regal Princess and Royal Princess play the song on their horns. Wish the others would take it up.... love that feature. Royal was first. (On our Mediterranean cruise on the Regal, the theme was played in all ports but one. That one prohibited it, but the Captain played it several times as soon as we were clear of the port jurisdiction! :D)

[caribill]

If, by the end of the cruise, you have unused onboard credit, can you go to the casino and request cash from them in order to not lose the credit if customer service says it is listed as a nonrefundable credit from your travel agent?

 

No.

 

But you can download it at a slot machine, play a little, and redeem what is left at the casino cashier. There is a limit of how much you can download each day, so it will not work if you have hundreds of $$$ in unused OBC.

[anthonyy7]

Only Regal Princess and Royal Princess play the song on their horns. Wish the others would take it up.... love that feature. Royal was first. (On our Mediterranean cruise on the Regal, the theme was played in all ports but one. That one prohibited it, but the Captain played it several times as soon as we were clear of the port jurisdiction! :D)

 

Love that horn! I love it even more when it's right behind another ships horn and those on that ship jump and cheer! :D

[TracieABD]

Love that horn! I love it even more when it's right behind another ships horn and those on that ship jump and cheer! :D

 

So much fun! I was on the Royal in the same port as the Regal. They had a Love Boat horn smack-down. It was great!